Is that cellulite on Elle Macpherson's thighs? Even 'The Body' can't escape the ageing process at Jaguar launch

So extraordinary and enviable is her physique, that Elle Macpherson is known as The Body.

Yet at the grand old age of 45, positively ancient in supermodel terms, she appears to be showing the first signs of wear and tear.

Photographed as she attended a glamorous party to launch a new Jaguar car at the Saatchi Gallery in West London, Miss Macpherson wore a short gold dress which showed off her legs fabulously.

Signs of age: Elle Macpherson's choice of micro mini Herve Leger bandage dress may have been the wrong one after her legs were snapped looking saggy

On closer inspection, the knee and thigh on the model's right leg appear to be suffering from the dreaded appearance of sagging loose skin.

The condition, often called 'creping' by cosmetic surgeons, is the result of nothing more than the aging of the skin making it less firm and taut.

The effect is particularly prevalent on people who have little fat on their bodies and who have spent much of their lives in sunnier climes, which happens to be the case with Miss Macpherson.

Unfortunately, the fact that the light source is coming from the
side rather than from a camera flashbulb in front of her in this
picture only appears to exaggerate the effect.

Surgeons who
analysed this picture added that the effect is also apparently made
worse since the photograph captures the exact moment when the skin on
her right thigh is moving over the leg muscle as the weight is
transferred from her left to her right leg.

Miss Macpherson, who has two children, is one of the most successful
supermodels of her generation and among the very few who have been able
to sustain a career while others have fallen by the wayside.

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Cosmetic
surgeon Alex Karidis said: 'It's an unfortunate picture in that it
appears to have captured the exact moment during her walking towards
camera when the weight is transferring onto the right leg.

'It is the moment of impact when the skin is travelling over the leg muscle.

'You probably would not notice the effect on a very young individual but only because the skin quality would be much better.

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'Elle
is 45 and has presumably had a lot of sun over the years. She has a lot
of freckles and the skin quality has obviously reduced with age.

'It just goes to show that age gets the better of everyone.

'The
effect - which you can call creping - does happen with age and
especially when someone has lived in the sun a lot in California and
Australia. Women's skin also tends to age a little earlier than men's
skin.

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Cosmetic
surgeon Riccardo Frati suggested such a phenomenon was usually
associated with dramatic weight loss in patients who has had too much
liposuction but that it could have also been the result of sun damage.

There is no suggestion that Miss Macpherson, who has never been overweight, has had liposuction on her legs.

The unfortunate picture was taken last night as the supermodel helped to launch the latest Jaguar.